A set of three bird and flower prints

Details

UTAGAWA HIROSHIGE (1797-1858)
A set of three bird and flower prints
Woodblock prints, printed from the same woodblock, each signed Hiroshige hitsu, comprising:
1) Java sparrow and clematis
2) Kingfisher and bellflowers
3) Bird on maple branch
9 7⁄8 x 5 in. (25.1 x 12.7 cm.) each approx.(3)

Provenance

Frank Lloyd Wright (1867-1959)
Ezoshi Art Shop, Kyoto
Acquired from the above, 1993

Literature

Hiroshige Nature and the City: Prints from the Alan Medaugh Collection (Ludion, 2023). Plate no. 307-309.

Conditions of sale

Brought to you by

Takaaki Murakami (村上高明) Vice President, Specialist and Head of Department | Japanese and Korean Art

Check the condition report or get in touch for additional information about this

tmurakami@christies.com +1 212 636 2160

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Lot Essay

These sheets, printed from the same block, were not precisely cut, allowing us to determine the correct sequence of the design. In the middle sheet, a kingfisher hovers above a cluster of bellflowers. The poem above reads:
Asa tsuyu no
wakete ukitatsu
kikyo kana
Is it the bellflower
that emerges from
the morning dew?

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